The presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) pertains to the field of the beverage preparation systems, in particular those using capsules of different types containing an ingredient for preparing a beverage. More particularly, the presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) relates to a capsule comprising means for storing information related to said capsule, and a machine with a reading arrangement for reading said information providing an efficient, automated and safe solution to handle capsules of different type and/or dimensions.
For the purpose of the present description, a “beverage” is intended to include any human-consumable liquid substance, such as coffee, tea, hot or cold chocolate, milk, soup, baby food or the like. A “capsule” is intended to include any pre-portioned beverage ingredient or combination of ingredients (hereafter called “ingredient”) within an enclosing packaging of any suitable material such as plastic, aluminium, a recyclable and/or bio-degradable material and combinations thereof, including a soft pod or a rigid cartridge containing the ingredient.
Certain beverage preparation machines use capsules containing an ingredient to be extracted or to be dissolved and/or an ingredient that is stored and dosed automatically in the machine or else is added at the time of preparation of the drink. Some beverage machines possess liquid filling means that include a pump for liquid, usually water, which pumps the liquid from a source of water that is cold or indeed heated through heating means, e.g. a thermoblock or the like.
In the field of coffee preparation, machines have been developed in which a capsule containing a beverage ingredient is inserted in a brewing device. The brewing device is tightly closed about the capsule, water is injected at a first face of a capsule, the beverage is produced in the closed volume of the capsule and a brewed beverage can be drained from a second face of the capsule and collected in a receptacle such as a cup or glass.
Brewing devices have been developed to facilitate insertion of a capsule into a chamber therein, for instance, by using a feeding arrangement or a motorized brewing unit.
WO 2001/084993 relates to a beverage machine with a movable drawer sliding horizontally to bring a capsule from a loading stated to an inserted position in a motorized brewing unit. This machine allows automating tasks like the introduction of a capsule into the brewing unit or the preparation of a plurality of beverages. However, for triggering the preparation of the beverage, the user has still to either activate manually the movable drawer sliding and/or press a start button.
Furthermore, it is also desirable to propose a beverage preparation system capable of handling a variety of different capsules, for example, capsules containing different volume of ingredient(s) to prepare different volumes of beverage and/or beverage of different type and/or beverage prepared using different recipes, with semi-automatic or automatic preparation modes.
However, having different types of capsules raises several issues, notably the increased complexity of the user interface and also the cost and complexity of the machine. Furthermore, even if enhancing the user's interaction with the machine by increasing the level of automation is highly desirable, it usually comes with safety issues, caused, for example, by moving parts actuated automatically by motors. In the field of the motorized beverage machines, systems have been provided to prevent or limit the risks of the insertion of inappropriate objects into the brewing chamber, like a finger or a spoon, which may cause damage to the machine and/or injuries to the user when the brewing unit is closed. For instance, EP1767129 relates to a beverage machine comprising a motorized brewing unit in which the capsule is inserted manually by gravity in an open passage between jaw members of the unit. For safety reason, the passage can be blocked by a motorized closing gate.
It is known to place barcodes on a capsule for coding information related to beverage preparation parameters. However, depending on the type of capsules and materials used to manufacture said capsules, it is difficulty to print reliably such an identifier, for example printing code on a metallic a capsule. Moreover, the use of space for coding information is not optimal and placing such a code onto a capsule is generally not desirable for aesthetic reasons. The reliability of standard optical systems for reading code is questionable, particularly when they are arranged in the harsh environment of ingredient processing module of beverage preparation systems, where dusts and vapours are often present.
Accordingly, there is a need for a beverage preparation system capable of handling a variety of different capsules without decreasing the convenience of use of such a system, without decreasing the safety level, and in a cost-efficient and reliable way. In particular, there is also a need to propose a solution for embedding information into/on the capsule, wherein the solution is reliable and cost-effective.